Volumetric drum meter



R. W. BROWN ET AL VOLUMETRIC DRUM METER oct. 24, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 23, 1957 c N TNY N mwa W f.. www w B O A l1 W Frm N om S N u. w m u. o Pw Z h o.. W. H M i..55:52:55: B

Oct. 24,- 1961 R. w. BRowN ET AL 3,005,343

VOLUMETRIC DRUM METER Filed Aug. 25, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS. ROBINSON -BIOWN WILLIAM E. OAKEY A TTO PNEY ,United States Patent() Y 3,005,343 VOLUMETRIC DRUM METER Robinson W. Brown and William E. Oakey, San Antonio,

Tex., assignors of sixty percent to Vernon W. Barge,

Jr., Killeen, and forty percent to Ernest W. Porterlield, Waco, Tex. 1

'- Filed Aug. 23, 1957,` Ser. No..679,867

3 Claims. (Cl. 73-217) This invention relates to a new and improved drum meter system for use in measuring the amount of liquid or other material such as free flowing solids passing through the meter.

lThe principal object of the invention is to provide a new and improved means of measuring the volume'of liquidv or other materialrflowing through the device. p

Another object is to design this system in such a fashion that'when the tank orvreservoir is filled, the flow of liquid or :other ,y material through the meter is automatically stopped.

A further object is to design this system of` a size minimized enough for practical application. w ,Y Otherv objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in oonnection with the accompanying drawings. It will be understood that changes may be made in the details of construction-and arrangement of parts shown and described, as the preferred form has been given by way of illustration only. Y

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view ofthe drum meter system; and

FIG. 2. is a sectional view taken on line 2- 2 of FIG. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows. 'Y

Referring more particularly to the drawings wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout, rthe `drum metersystem iscomprised basically of the drum 10, theinlet pipe 11 and the housing 12.-

The drum is mounted on the horizontal portion 11a of the inlet pipe "11 on bearings so that it may revolve.

; 'I'he drum 1Q V4consistsofa central chamber 25, which is provided with three openings 15a, 15b, 15e through which the liquid or other material such as free owing solids is to flow into the three outer chambers 16a, 16b, 16e` to contain and measure the material, Iand openings 18a, 18b and l8r` in the side walls of each outer chamber 16a, 1Gb, 16e of the drum 10 leading into three sets of discharge cups 18 on opposite sides of drum 10. 17 is a line indicating the level of the material in the central chamber 25 by the time chamber 16a is completely full. The various chambers `are of uniform capacity as otherwise the meter would obviously be out of balance and,

furthermore, the counting means would not accurately reflect quantities passing through the meter.

The inlet pipe 11, through which the material llows into the central chamber 25 of the drum, consists of a long inlet pipe 11 containing a gooseneck or bend 26. Material owing through inlet pipe 11 passes through gooseneck 26 and opening 14 to central chamber 25 of the drum 10 from which it passes lto the outer chambers 16a, 16b, 16e as hereinafter described. The gooseneck 26 serves to carry the incoming material toward the bottom of the housing 13, so that oat 21 may be conveniently attached to valve 20 in the inlet pipe. Valve 20 is a circular disc attached at one point on its periphery to `a float rod 20a supported in bearings 2Gb. The tloat rod passes through the wall of the gooseneck, and 1s bent downward and attached to oat 21.

The purpose of valve 20 is to prevent the drum 10 from being ooded due to measured material rismg 1n the b ottom of the housing 13. If the outlet pipes of the housing become lled with measured material, or material comes 2 out of the drum 10 at a rate fasterthan the outlet pipes can handle it, thelevel. of the material in the bottom of the housing 13,'begins to rise. Float 21 rises with the material, and as it does so, it causes 4valve, 20 to rotate about its pivot point and finally closes the valve against valveseatZtlc.A This prevents anymore material from going into drumi1`0 until the level of measured material in the bottom of housing 13 drops, thereby dropping oat A21 and opening valve 20 attached to it.

` Material owing through inlet pipe 11' passes through goose-neck 26 and opening 14 to central chamber 25 of the drum from which it passes to the outer chambers as herein afterdescribed) y n The housing 12 is provided with-a counter 1'9 `designed to'count lthe numberof 1:imes the drum revolves, and

, thereby'l indicate the quantity of material passing through the meter. Each time the drum 10 makes one revolution, lug'19a, attached to theI drum, tripscounter arm 19h, recordingrthe measuring capacity of the drum as one uniton thecounter. v

Within the central chamber is' a cutoff ,valve 23,

I rigidly attached to horizontal 'portion 11a of inlet pipe 11, and designed so that said valve is positioned in` such a fashion that even though the material levelin the central Ychamber should rise up to any level above that indicated by line 17, the opening 15a is closed by valve 23 as the drumbegins to turn, thus permitting no more material from the central chamber to run through said openmg.

' Shortly after thedrum beginsto turn, material contained in chamber 16a begins to dump from discharge cups 18, yand if the materia-l Alevel is above the line 17 in the centralchamber, this material could flow through opening 15a into chamber 16a at the same time material is beingdumped-from it. `Thus the physical volume of chamber'lda. would not lbe a true measure of the material dumped from it, and the meterwould be inaccurate. Cutoff valve 23 effectively prevents this from happening by sealing otlopening 15a as-it rises above the material level at line 17.

-A locking'deviceis provided which preventsvrotation of drum 10 when not in use. This locking device comprises brake 24 carried by sleeve 24a and which is urged to unlocked position by spring 24b and sleeve 24a is urged against the force of spring 24b by cap or closure 27 to lock brake 24 in operative position.

Pad 28 is a resilient member attached to the end of brake 24 to prevent undue pressure against the drum.

Cap 27 is designed to cover the open end 13 of said inlet pipe and said cap, when placed on the open end of said inlet pipe, operates locking device 24 thus stopping the revolution of the drum 10 during ythe time the system is not in use.

The meter operates as follows:

The material to be measured is admitted into .the open end of the inlet tube 111 and flows through the gooseneck 26 and into the horizontal portion of the inlet tube, -from which it diows through opening 14 into the central chamber 25 of the drum 10. This central chamber is provided with three openings 15a, 15b, 15e through which the material may flow into three outer chambers 16a, 1'6b, 16e. These outer chambers 16a, 16b, 116e are formed by partitioning the space between the inner and outer shells of the drum into three equal divisions. When the drum is in the position shown in FIG. 1, the material ilowing from the inlet pipe through the opening 14 into the central chamber of the drum 10 will tlow through opening 15a into the lowermost outer chamber of the drum 16a.

When chamber 16a is completely full (up to line 17 3 i'n FIG. i), the material begins to flow through opening b into the outer chamber 1Gb.

As soon as the material begins to lill this chamber 16b, the static equilibrium of the drum 10 is upset and the drum im 'begins to rotate in a vcbunterclockwise direction.

At one end of each outer chamber there are openings 18a, 18'b and 158e inthe sidewalls ofthe dru'rn 1u leading Iinto the oppositeiy disposed discharge cups 18. The discharge cups 18 are open at the top, and their height is such that the top is above the material Alevel shown by dashed line 17. These cups 11s are partially full when material begins to till outer chamber 16b. As the drum -10 revolves, outer chamber lblbegins to till and, at the same outer chamber '16a begins to empty through its discharge cups 18 into the 'bottoni '13 of the housing 12 and, thence, through its outlets. I

After chamber 16a hasemptied, chamber 1f6b iinds its equilibrium position in thesafne place previously occupied by chamber 16a. This -lling and dumping of one chamber after another continues as long as material is supplied to 'the meter, VThe volume of material measured by the meter is recorded by a counter 19 vattached to the housing. 'Various counting arrangements can be set up depending upon the units of measure to be used in counting.

When 'the meter is not in use, the inlet pipe 11 is covered on the open end 13 of said pipe by a cap 27. Said cap, when locked in place, engages locking device 24 in such a manner that pad 28 is forced against drum 10 thus preventing the revolution of said drum as long as the cap is v'in iplace. y Y

From the above, it will 'be seen that we have provided new and improved means for obtaining all of the objects and advantages of the invention.

We claim:

1. In a device of the character described, a housing, a drum rotatably mounted in said housing, an inlet pipe communicating with said drum, said drum having a series of spaced outer chambers each connected by an opening to a central chamber whereby material entering said spaced chambers successively from said central chamber effects rotation of said drumhmeans for counting the number of rotations of said drum and thereby 'indicating the amount of material passing through 'said drum, and

valve means for substantially closing the openings from the central chamber to the outer chambers as each outer chamber becomes ful-l. Y

2. In a device of the character described, a housing, a drum rotatably mounted in said housing, an inlet pipe communicating with said drum, 'said drum having a series of spaced outer chambers each connectedH by an opening to a central chamber whereby material entering said spaced chambers successively/from said central chamber effects rotation of said drum, means for counting the number of rotations of said drum and thereby indicating the amount of material passing Ithrough said drum, and a valve element in said central chamberpositioned to interrupt llow through the opening into an outer chamber upon such outer chamber becoming full and continuing to so interrupt ow during a portion of such outer chambers rotational movement and then ceasing lto impede ilovv so that such outer chamber 'can be thereafter relled. 'n

3. In a device of the character described, a housing, a drum rotatably mounted in said housing, an inlet pipe communicating With said drum, said drum having a 'series of spaced outer chambers each connected by an opening to a central cylindrical chamber whereby material` 'entering said spaced chambers Ysuccessively from said central chamber effects rotation of said drum, means lfor counting the number of rotations of said `drum and thereby indicating 'the amount of material passing through said drum, and a valve element having an arcuate surface posi tioned closely adjacent the path of travel 'of said openings and also positioned to substantially close each 'of said openings upon the respective louter chambers becoming iilled.

References Cited inthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,109,804 Wagley -A...- a Sept. 8, 1914 1,429,232 Gardiner Sept. 19, 1922 2,323,627 Sherman i. July 6, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS 

